


Daybreak

by lover_of_the_light117



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars - The Force Awakens, Star Wars - The Last Jedi - Fandom
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Torture, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Protective Rey (Star Wars), not with those pretty eyes, she can't stay mad at him for too long
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-08-02 17:17:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16309391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lover_of_the_light117/pseuds/lover_of_the_light117
Summary: His ghost of a smile returned and her stomach flipped. “I think I like this better. Seems more real. Come closer, sweetheart, let me see you.”Rey stood still and opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Her face twisted as she watched him move to sit up, his arms shaking violently. His skin grew even paler, but he seemed content as he settled upright, leaning heavily to his right.He reached out with his free arm, still quivering slightly, and stared into her eyes as he whispered, “Please.”Post-TLJ





	1. Chapter 1

It had been two standard weeks, give or take. Between the weary rebuilding of the Resistance and her own warring emotions, Rey couldn’t quite remember. But she did know with absolute certainty that in all that time, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of Be- Kylo Ren.

 

At first, she was relieved. She had shipped herself into the belly of the beast with all the hope in the world and he sent her away with a bleeding heart. _He_ probably didn’t see it like that, but it was true enough. He asked her to ignore the fleet, to let the past die. But at the time, the past was still the present, and the present was her friends, and they were still very much _alive_.

 

Well, back then she had only really known Finn and Chewie, but the Resistance was the closest thing she had to a family her whole life. She wasn’t about to let that slip between her fingers. And for him to ask her to abandon them? She’d been on the receiving end of such a decision, as he was so eager to remind her, and it hurt to even imagine—

 

Anyways, she needed time. Time to think, time to lick her wounds alone, in private. She wasn’t used to so many people in her space, and cramming all of the Resistance on the Falcon spiked her nerves in the worst way. She found herself snapping at anyone who got too close. She didn’t even realize it until Finn was unlucky enough to have caught her in one of those moods, his brown eyes widening in hurt. For… _Kylo_ to appear in the middle of all that would have been nothing short of a disaster.

 

And the worst part was that she couldn’t tell anyone. She cringed to think about how receptive her new family might be when they hear about her personal connection with the _Supreme Leader_ of the enemy. The closest she ever came to spilling her secrets was with Leia, but one glance into her eyes stopped her cold. She looked… tired. Her dip in space combined with the numerous losses of the Resistance—let alone her own brother—surely weighed more than Rey could imagine.

 

Rey turned to the Jedi texts as an excuse to escape. No one bothered her with her head stuck in the heavy books, but the relief was short lived. She spent hours trying to decipher the thick passages with little success. Her headaches returned, paired with a sense of inadequacy. _You need a teacher._

 

Luckily, they found an abandoned New Republic outpost in the verdant jungles of Devaron about a week after Crait. Both supplies and morale were running dangerously low, but the thrill of a new planet and promise of fresh air did wonders for the ragtag group.

 

Rey welcomed the distraction and took her time exploring the greenery, but even those adventures grew stale after so long. There was nothing to scavenge since Leia forbid her from bringing back any more fruit after she got sick from consuming bright blue berries she found on one of her expeditions. Instead, she tried to meditate like one of the illustrations in the texts suggested, focusing on what Luke taught her so long ago. Life, death, rebirth. It helped, for a little bit.

 

But sometimes, in the middle of these meditations, she would startle at a waver in the smooth lines that she’d grown to associate with the Force. Her head would whip around, expecting that phantom of a man to appear, but only the trees stared back, rustling gently. _You’re not alone._

 

She _felt_ alone.

 

Even now, amidst the crew of the newly revived base, where laughter had just begun to flourish once more and hope was encouraged. She listened halfheartedly as Poe spun his tale of a triple-axel-nosedive combo to a captivated audience. Finn had an arm around a newly recovering Rose, leaning in intently so as to not miss a single word, and Rey felt a smile twitch at the corners of her mouth. Maybe—maybe she just needed time. Maybe time would soften her memories and knit her heart back together.

 

But her smile vanished and she drew in a quick breath. Something familiar pulled at her ribs, and she hardly had time to mumble an excuse before she fled the crowded room and stumbled into the forest.

 

The rustling and buzzing of the nighttime life muted into a mechanical hum. The light of the orange moon dimmed to a soft blue hue, and when she turned her head, she had to blink to readjust before she made out the dark lump lying five steps ahead of her.

 

The words fell from her lips before she could process them, but they certainly contained a bite.

 

“Kylo Ren.”

 

To her surprise, he didn’t jump from where he lay and procure his angry, red lightsaber. No, instead he blinked lazily, dragging his eyes upwards to rest on her face in an unsettling, unfocused gaze. Her fingers twitched at her sides, and she cursed herself for not trying harder with those kriffing books—at least she might’ve had a functioning lightsaber then.

 

Rey stood there, unsure of her next move. Should she just have ignored him? No, she knew she couldn’t do that. She had… questions. But as the seconds ticked by, her uneasiness grew tenfold, and her stomach twisted as though she’d eaten something foul.

 

After what felt like an eternity, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly—was that a _smile?_ —and he murmured, “I told you not to call me that.”

 

_What?_

 

A spark cracked in her chest and she said between her teeth, “I’ll call you whatever I want, _Ren_. You should be grateful, it’s what you chose for yourself, isn’t it?”

 

The fire died as quickly as it was born as she watched the hint of a smile disappear, and his brows crease together. Kylo blinked slowly, his eyes squeezing together, and she was hit with an intense cramp. She took a quick, pained breath and he exhaled with her. Again, his unfocused eyes found her. “You were so much sweeter last time. What brought this on?”

 

Her cheeks blazed. Oh, he couldn’t be serious. “You’ve got some nerve. I tried to help you and you—you asked me to give up _everything._ And to do what? Dictate the galaxy?” Her heart beat faster with every word, every regret, and the weight on her chest lifted at the same pace. “I never wanted that! Then you sent your hellhounds to knock me out of the sky on Crait—thanks for that, by the way—and then you, you just looked at me like…”

 

She trailed off as Kylo stared up at her from where he lay, those dark eyes reading into her very being, tinged with an emotion she couldn’t name.

 

_Like that._

 

His ghost of a smile returned and her stomach flipped. “I think I like this better. Seems more real. Come closer, sweetheart, let me see you.”

 

Rey stood still and opened her mouth to respond but nothing came out. Her face twisted as she watched him move to sit up, his arms shaking violently. His skin grew even paler, but he seemed content as he settled upright, leaning heavily to his right.

 

He reached out with his free arm, still quivering slightly, and stared into her eyes as he whispered, “Please.”

 

She felt her body move of its own volition, though through no influence of the Force. She knelt in front of him, just out of his reach, and took a second chance to really look at him. His sweat highlighted the pink, ragged scars across his chest and arms. She’d only seen this much of him once before, and although her modesty and surprise overcame her, she certainly hadn’t noticed all of these then. They were new.

 

The question was out before she realized. “What happened to you?”

 

He made a face. “I’ve already told you, they got a hold of a Ysalamiri and knocked me out just after Crait—the cowards. Let’s talk about something else,” he said through heavy breaths.

 

She felt nauseous. “Ben,” she said slowly, “I haven’t seen you in two weeks.”

 

Something flashed in his eyes, and they finally cleared, if only for a moment. He reached out further despite his now obvious discomfort, his hand shaking again, and he pleaded, “ _Rey._ ”

 

She shuffled forward, and tentatively brought his hand to her cheek. He gasped at the contact and shifted his weight to bring his other hand to hold her face. He leaned heavily on her, but she held them both steady with her other hand on his bare chest. She couldn’t help the tears gathering in her eyes when she heard him say:

 

 “You’re real.”

 

A knot formed in her throat as he stroked her hair and mumbled, “You’re here, I can feel—you’re real, _Rey_.”

 

She tried to swallow and spoke thickly to repeat her question. “What happened to you?”

 

Ben stopped his soft rambling and huffed, his breath warm against her face. “The weasel didn’t like my leadership and—” another muted pain tore at her gut, and she watched as his face scrunched up in response. He took a deep breath and continued, “and apparently the bridge has cameras. Who knew?” He laughed once, but there was no humor behind it. “He found the video of us and turned my officers. It was so easy too, when I was so distracted by _you_.”

 

There was no malice in his voice, though, and he continued to stroke her skin with his thumbs. Her eyebrows drew together. “Do you mean General Hux?”

 

“Hux! That bastard. Sniveling, conniving—” he leaned forward and groaned, crouching into himself. She jumped when he laughed a moment later, his shoulders shaking. “And he forgot to feed the damn lizard if you’re here! _Idiot_.”

 

Rey struggled to pull him upwards through his mumblings. She saw his glazed eyes again and realized, “They drugged you!”

 

“They did a hell of a lot more than that. Hux is fond of his droids—I suppose you must be without the Force.” He regarded her through his haze, and then his eyes widened in fear. A faint pair of footsteps sounded from behind her. “Rey, you—you have to go. You have to go now. I can’t protect— _ugh_.”

 

He grew more frantic with every word, but lost strength all the same. His head dropped to her shoulder and she could feel him mumbling against her skin, so she wrapped her arms around him and bent forward, lowering him to his cot.

 

“Ben, I’m okay, he can’t get me, you know this—”

 

His fevered eyes darted between her and somewhere over her left shoulder. “You have to go, _please_ , Rey.”

 

“No, Ben—”

 

The force tugged at her once more, and she heard him sigh in relief as the bond cut off.

 

_“That’s it, sweetheart.”_

 

The lights shifted and the forest noises returned louder than before, almost deafening. A sob tore through her frame, and she clutched at her middle. The footsteps behind her grew closer, so she blinked past her tears and turned around.

 

“Rey,” Leia greeted her with shimmering eyes. She looked more tired than she’s ever been.

 

“What’s wrong?” She felt sick to her stomach.

 

Leia took a shuddering breath before saying, “The First Order has announced a public execution to be held in three days.”

 

Rey brought both hands to cover her mouth. She shook her head once and asked, “Who?”

 

Leia closed her eyes. _No_.

 

“My son.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As my first ever reylo/Star Wars submission, I had to give you guys a cliffhanger ;) But don't worry, it won't last long; I love those two too much to keep them hanging. So much love for my beta, closer-to-monkey! Without her I wouldn't have had the courage to post anything.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr as lover-of-the-light117, if you feel so inspired. (Say hi!)
> 
> Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The underdogs come out to play.

Rey sat cross legged on the dirt, breathing slowly. In, out. In, out. In. An image of Ben flashed in her mind, ragged and lost, her name on his lips. _Focus._ Out.

 

Leia had assembled the Resistance with the grace of a queen early the next morning, with Rey still as a stone just behind her shoulder. She had Poe play the announcement on an old holocron, a shadow over his face, and it started as any other First Order Propaganda did. But as General Hux’s smug voice detailed the nature of the assassination and when to tune in, an assortment of gasps and exclamations filled the room and Leia’s hands trembled where they were clasped behind her back, visible only to Rey.

 

After allowing a moment for the news to sink in, she began, _“The First Order is unstable…”_

 

Five standard hours had passed since then, the Resistance bustling to gather whatever equipment they had left under Leia’s orders. Rey tried to ignore the frenzied energy. In, out.

 

_“We have the means to capture the Supreme Leader,”_ at this, all eyes in the small crowd stared at Rey, and she willed herself to appear confident. Or rather, to not twitch at the mention of _him_. Leia continued to layout the plan they fashioned in the dim moments after the Force Bond, painting it as if it were a battle strategy, a way to get information out of the surely forsaken Kylo Ren. It was a stretch, but the Resistance would never agree to a rescue and they did not have the time for dissenting opinions.

 

Rey cursed under her breath when she realized her mind had strayed yet again. They were running out of time, and yet still did not know where the assassination would take place. This was her job, the only thing Leia entrusted her with. And she _couldn’t get a grip_.

 

Behind closed eyes, she saw him again, this time with a soft glow flickering upon his face. He had listened to her so carefully back on Ahch-To, dark eyes glistening with empathy. He listened as she described her dalliance with the Dark and the empty epiphany that followed, and yet he hadn’t entreated her to try again, hadn’t mocked her stray from the Light. Instead, he offered her comfort and she took it, greedily.

 

And when he offered his hand…

 

Her heart thudded in her chest at the memory, heavy with something she wasn’t too keen to explore at the moment. But there it was again, that feeling in her ribs, _pulling_ …

 

Wait.

 

She breathed in and focused on that spot, everything else fading away. The pull grew stronger, and in a direction that became more clear with every breath, as if it were a string. In, out.

 

And then, so softly at first she was sure she was imagining it, a twin beat— slower and weaker than her own heart, but a beat nonetheless. As she followed the string, past the sky and through the stars, it grew louder.

 

She breathed, and thought of his eyes, loneliness and hope warring, mirroring hers. The heartbeat almost deafening now, getting faster as if in anticipation.

 

In.

 

A flash—quicker than light, but enough for her to hear his startled breath, her name a thought vibrating across the string.

 

Out.

 

_There._

 

She gasped and opened her eyes, then rose unsteadily from her cross-legged position. There was no time to waste.

 

Rey ran towards the compound, deftly winding through the bustling Resistance members until she found Leia in a discussion with Poe. The General turned and arched an eyebrow as she caught her breath, and Rey spoke before she had the chance to.

 

“Vardos,” she gasped, adrenaline rushing through her veins, “he’s on Vardos.”

 

She’s never been to the planet or even heard about it for that matter, but the name hummed across her brain and Leia’s reaction squashed any uncertainty she had.

 

“Of course,” she said. “They need to reestablish control.”

 

Poe leaned over, brows scrunched in an attempt to catch up. “Vardos? Isn’t that where the Battle of Kestro happened?” Leia nodded, and he looked towards Rey. “You think that’s where the assassination will be?”

 

She pulled back her shoulders and stood straighter. “I know they’re there now, and I doubt that they’d go anywhere else with only two days left.” Rather, she couldn’t afford to be wrong.

 

A grin bloomed across his face, and Poe let out a laugh as he laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Well, Jedi Master, looks like those old books were worth something after all!” Rey bristled at both the contact and the inaccuracies of his statement, but before she could speak up, he turned once more to Leia. “General, if they’re on Vardos they’ll have heavy fire power. It’s a public event, and Hugs isn’t gonna pass on the opportunity to show off. If we go in there, guns blazing, we don’t stand a chance.”

 

Leia cut in, “I hope you’re going somewhere with this, Poe.”

 

His eyes sparked, and his smile grew. “I have a plan, and it’s inspired by that salt on Crait.” He glanced at Rey. “I could use your help, if you’re up for it. I know you’re handy with the equipment, and we’re gonna need some modifications.”

 

His energy was contagious, and her lips twitched up in response. “What do you need?”

 

* * *

 

 

Rey watched Poe as he scrambled around the deserted canteen, rifling through the storage cabinets and dragging out bags of white powder. He was babbling about some prank he used to play, and she could only furrow her eyebrows. When he motioned with his hands, she dropped the palm full of white crystalline powder he shoved at her earlier into a pan and he did the same.

 

“It’s technically KNO-3, but ‘bomb-dust’ is what they used to call it before the shift to beam technology,” he said, licking his fingers.

 

She felt her lips curl in disgust, and Poe raised his eyebrows before laughing. “No, no, you had the dust—this is sugar,” he explained, waving his sticky hand in front of her face. “Want some?”

 

“No thank you,” she said, turning her attention to the pan he was stirring.

 

“Well like I was saying, I’d put one of these babies in the mens’ quarters, and their stuff would be blue for seven cycles! Lucky for us, they dyed their own jumpsuits here on site, so at least we’ve got orange. I found this when we landed the first day.” He moved the pan from the flame and pulled out a heap of dark orange powder from his pocket. He sprinkled it into the mixture and stirred it quickly, waggling his eyebrows at her, and she smiled warily, pretending to follow along.

 

“And this, Madame Jedi,” he continued, dipping a paper into the flame with one hand, holding the pan at arm’s length with another and taking a step back, “is a colored smoke bomb.”

 

He dropped the fire into the pan with a flourish, and the world exploded in orange.

 

Rey opened her eyes a few seconds later, ears ringing from the _POP_ of the bomb, and looked down at her soiled wraps once before hesitantly looking back at a similarly colored Poe, his white teeth stark against the rest of him.

 

“If we can’t beat ‘em,” he shrugged, “we blind ‘em!”

 

* * *

 

 

The next day passed in a blur, with Rey instructing some less experienced members to craft their supposed smoke shields before joining the mechanics to get some deserted ships running for the attack. She lost herself in the wires and bolts for a while, trying desperately to distract herself from her rapidly beating heart and the part of her mind that kept conjuring ‘ _what if_ ’s. His eyes haunted her as she worked; there was no room for error.

 

In the end, they got two more vessels up and running and modified the exhaust ports with the makeshift bombs. The Falcon was similarly fitted, and the crew briefed on the battle plan. Everyone set to their stations, and Rey headed for the cockpit of the Falcon. Chewie sat in the pilot’s chair, with someone whose name she _couldn’t_ remember as his co-pilot. Would this really work?

 

She jumped when a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to face Leia as she spoke softly, “We need you ready for the drop, or else you’d be up there.”

 

She managed a semblance of a smile at the reassurance, but couldn’t hold it for long. Leia tightened her grip slightly, and continued with a certain confidence, “It’ll be alright, Rey. Trust yourself.”

 

She swallowed past the knot in her throat. “I will, General. I’ll bring him back.” She _had_ to.

 

Her eyes sparkled, and a small smile stretched her weary face. “I know you will.” Vote of confidence apparently delivered, she let go and left to speak with Chewie. Rey watched and wondered at how Leia seemed to float on her feet while she felt beads of sweat running down her back.

 

Footsteps stopped behind her, and she found Finn as he cleared his throat, more aware of her aversion to touch. _Where was that aversion on Ahch-to?_

 

He held a blaster as a part of her backup—another soldier for another cause—but despite the newly lit fire in his eyes, he leaned forward and said in a low voice, “Rey, you know you don’t have to do this. You don’t have to be their attack dog if you don’t want to. We can call this off now—Leia said it herself: they’re unstable, whether we capture Ren or let him die. It’s up to you.”

 

And despite the emotions warring in her over the last few days, his loyalty to her as a person—not a Jedi, not a soldier, a _friend_ —moved her the most. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in to an awkward but genuine hug, and he held her, patting her back lightly.

 

She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “Thank you, Finn. But I _need_ to do this. I’ll explain later. I’ll tell you… I’ll tell you everything.” And she meant it, she truly did. “But I need this to work, and I need you to watch my back. I’m afraid that—” _she won’t be able to control the Force. They’ll shoot before she’s ready. He’ll already be…_ Her lip wobbled, but she checked it. “I’m afraid.”

 

He grasped her shoulders tightly, offering her his strength. “I won’t let anything happen. This _will_ work. Me and these other guys,” he gestured behind him, “we’ve got your back. Just do what you have to do, alright?”

 

She nodded once. “Alright.”

 

He patted her shoulders once more before nodding in response and leaving for his station. Rey buckled in to her seat when they began their ascent and watched through the viewport as the stars stretched before her eyes. It was a trillion times better than the simulations, but not enough to distract her.

 

Before she was ready, they slowed before a planet, gray and dull, with twinkling blue scattered across the surface. _Vardos_ , a voice in her head whispered.

 

“Rey?” Leia asked from her right.

 

She unbuckled and held on to the co-pilot’s seat, closing her eyes, following the thread. “There,” she said, pointing to an especially bright cluster to the southeast of their position.

 

“Kestro,” Leia said, and Chewie growled in the affirmative.

 

Raising their shields and arming the weapons, the small fleet descended rapidly, aiming for the city capital. They managed to bypass the early detectors, but they only had seconds before the troops were alerted. They flew towards an assembly, full of white masses of stormtroopers and most likely decorated officers towards the front. Three gigantic panels surrounded a stage, and Kylo Ren’s kneeling body occupied the far two while Hux’s face was illuminated in the middle, frozen in outrage at—well, them.

 

The ship jostled and Rey almost fell as Chewie avoided the beams shot at them. The other two vessels flew ahead, Poe on the left, and she watched as they dropped the “payload” onto the crowd. Streams of dark orange and red trailed behind the ships as they weaved randomly about, and periodic explosions were dropped onto the heads of the stormtroopers. Rey thought briefly of Finn, but shook her head at the distraction. Casualties were expected, and the colorful bombs weren’t made to maim, but to distract. The Falcon followed close behind, blasters aimed at the big guns in retaliation with red orange plumes trailing behind.

 

Leia turned in her chair and yelled above the noise, “Rey, now!”

 

She nodded and ran to the ramp, meeting Finn and two other Resistance soldiers there. They held on to the rails as the ship dipped sharply, vents hissing when the ramp opened. As soon as the entrance gaped enough, she ran forward and jumped off the edge, hovering above the stage, and into a cloud of orange smoke. She hardly registered the thuds of her teammates following suit before the Millennium Falcon roared its engines and rounded back towards the crowd.

 

Careful to keep her breath shallow, she raised her hands and closed her eyes, feeling the Force run across her skin. A small smirk grew on her face—Hux must have left the lizard to die, overconfident. On the exhale, the swirling clouds suspended, and with a clench of her fists the dust flew to the side, revealing the stage and its frozen occupants while thickening the wall between them and the mass of soldiers.

 

In the half second of shock she allowed herself to find _him_ , his head lolling to the side, shoulders slumped, but gaze keenly focused on her. She breathed in relief and her eyes flitted to the man above him—the self-appointed “Supreme Leader”—face constipated in anger, growing red underneath the orange that coated his face, matching his hair.

 

Before anyone moved, she reached out and ripped the familiar, unstable lightsaber from Hux’s belt, dangling like a trophy. It buzzed in her hand, and she almost felt as if it welcomed her hold. She grinned a feral smile and stepped into a wide stance, fears from earlier forgotten.

 

Igniting the beam so the swirling walls turned blood red, she bared her teeth at him and said,

 

“Orange really isn’t your color.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is proof that I do write words, sometimes. This was supposed to be reylo-centric, and here I am writing battle prep. Well, we'll see more of Rey & Kylo in the next update, I promise ;)
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to closer-to-monkey for your patience and keen eye for edits. Couldn't do it without you!


End file.
